Payout mechanism for coin change dispensing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A payout mechanism for a coin dispenser which eliminates the possibility of a coin&#39;&#39;s becoming jammed. The bottom coin of a vertical stack of coins is received in a square opening of a moveable plate and supported by a fixed baseplate. The moveable plate is rotated about its center moving the coin away from the lower end of the coin stack. The baseplate is also provided with a square or slightly rectangular opening the center of which is offset from the center of the opening of the moveable plate. The opening of the baseplate has its sides at a 45* angle to those of the moveable plate. As the moveable plate rotates the coin is supported by the baseplate until the line joining the two points of contact of the circumference of the coin with the adjacent sides of the opening of the fixed plate passes through the center of the coin. At this time the coin tilts downwardly through the opening of the baseplate and is discharged from the machine. The opening of the baseplate is located far enough from the lower end of the coin stack that the coin when tipping does not strike the lower end of the stack. The number of coin stacks and the number of openings in the moveable and baseplates may be varied to provide for any desired combination of coins. The coin stacks are carried by removable collars which may be changed to accommodate coins of different diameters and thicknesses. The coin stacks are closed, thus tamperproof at all times.

United States Patent 172] Inventors Jack E.Bayha 11753 Sperry Road. Chesterland, Ohio 44026; Anthony H. Dolejs, 5600 Columbia Drive, Bedford Heights, Ohio 44146 [21] Appl. No. 819,222

[22] Filed Apr. 25, 1969 [45] Patented June 8, 1971 [54] PAYOUT MECHANISM FOR COIN CHANGE 3,251,369 5/1966 Starr ABSTRACT: A payout mechanism for a coin dispenser which eliminates the possibility of a coin's becoming jammed. The bottom coin of a vertical stack of coins is received in a square opening of a moveable plate and supported by a fixed baseplate. The moveable plate is rotated about its center moving the coin away from the lower end of the coin stack. The

DISPENSING APPARATUS baseplate is also provided with a square or slightly rectangular opening the center of WhICh 1S offset from the center of the 9 Claims, 12 Drawlng Figs.

opening of the moveable plate. The opening of the baseplate U-S- has its ides at a 45 angle to those of the moveable plate As 1 1 "f 607d 1/00 the moveable plate rotates the coin is supported by the [50] Field of Search 133/2, 4, 5, baseplate until the line joining the two points f Contact f the l circumference of the coin with the adjacent sides of the opening of the fixed plate passes through the center of the coin. At [56] References this time the coin tilts downwardly through the opening of the UNITED STATES PATENTS baseplate and is discharged from the machine. The opening of 1,178,376 4/1916 Bilyev et a1. 133/4 the baseplate is located far enough from the lower end of the 2,782,791 2/1957 133/5 coin stack that the coin when tipping does not strike the lower 2,947,444 8/1960 133/4X end of the stack. The number of coin stacks and the number of 2,974,772 3/1961 133/2X openings in the moveable and baseplates may be varied to pro- 3,080,035 3/1963 133/4X vide for any desired combination of coins. The coin stacks are 3,130,343 4/1965 GeCeWiCZ 133/5 carried by removable collars which may be changed to accom- 3,187,759 6/1965 Rausing 133/5X modate coins of different diameters and thicknesses. The coin 3,220,530 1 1/1965 Offutt 133/2X stacks are closed, thus tamperproof at all times.

[1/ I Ill/4 ll 1/ ll 11/ 'II I g 4 Z n u 2 g 0 l Z 19 6 l9 8 19 A i9 2 16 a 4 a l I l II PAYOUT MECHANISM FOR COIN CHANGE DISPENSING APPARATUS This invention relates to a coin change dispensing apparatus, and more particularly to such an apparatus with an improved coin payout mechanism.

Coin payout devices of the type in which vertical stacks of coins are carried in a magazine and dispensed individually therefrom by means of a bar or blade sliding horizontally through an opening at the lower end of the magazine are well known in the vending machine art. In these devices the magazine is provided at its lower end with an opening slightly higher than the thickness of the coin to be dispensed and the blade or bar which travels through this opening pushes a single coin out from beneath the stack of coins to the edge of a plate or apron from which the coin falls into a dispensing chute. As the coin is being pushed beyond the edge of the apron the leading end of the coin begins to tilt downwardly while the rear end of the coin raises upward. Frequent difficulty with jamming of the coin-dispensing mechanism has occurred when, as the coin begins to tilt, the pushing bar or blade moves below the raised rear end of the coin, pushing the coin upwardly and jamming it against the lower edge of the opening of the magazine. It is imperative that change dispensers be absolutely reliable in operation, especially when the device dispenses a large amount of change, for example, change for a dollar bill, and any jamming of such machines is unacceptable. Present change-making devices are normally constructed to dispense only one combination of coins and if it is desired to change the number or combination of coins being paid out or to accommodate the machine to different sizes of coins, as has become necessary in those countries which have converted to a decimal currency, each machine must be substantially rebuilt in order to accommodate new combinations of sizes of coins.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a payout mechanism for a coin-dispensing device which eliminates the hazard of jamming and thus assures reliable operation. In the present invention this is accomplished by providing a payout mechanism in which the coins are supported until they have moved to a position well clear of the magazine at which point the coins freely tip and fall into a dispensing chute. A further object of the present invention is the provision of a coin payout mechanism which may be readily adapted to pay out coins of different denominations, thickness, and/or diameters with a minimum of modification of the device. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a coin payout mechanism which, while being capable of dispensing a large number of coins, is of compact design.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following specification and the accompanying drawing wherein there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the coin payout device of our invention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line ll-Il of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line III-Ill of FIG. 1; 7

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line IV-1V of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are fragmentary plan views of the fixed baseplate and sliding coin-carrying plate of the assembly of FIG. 1, showing successive stages in the movement of a coin from the lower end of a coin stack to the discharge opening in the fixed plate;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 6 and showing a coin being discharged through the opening of the baseplate;

FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 are fragmentary plan views of the fixed baseplate and sliding coin-carrying plate showing successive stages in the movement of a small-diameter coin from the lower end of a coin stack to the discharge opening in the fixed plate;

FIG. 11 is a horizontal sectional view similar to that of FIG. 2 but showing a modified embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 12 is a horizontal sectional view similar to that of FIG. 3 but showing the coin carrying and base plates ofthe embodiment of FIG. 11.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-4 there is shown an automatic coin-dispensing device adapted to dispense 1 dollar's worth of change in the form of two quarters, three dimes, and four nickels. In this embodiment there is provided a housing 10 having sidewalls 11 and a cover 12 and a lower funnel-shaped portion 14 which has an opening 15 at its lower end. Horizontally mounted within the housing 10 is a fixed support plate 16 which, as shown in FIG. 2, is provided with a plurality of circular openings 17. Collars 18, 19, and 20 are received in the openings 17 of the support member 16. As shown in FIG. 4, the collars are provided with downwardly projecting cylindrical portions 21 having an outside diameter equal to that of the holes 17 and an internal diameter slightly larger than that of the coin to be dispensed through the collar. In the illustrated embodiment the internal diameters of the lower ends 21 of the collars 18 are slightly larger than the diameter ofa quarter; of the collars 19, than the diameter ofa nickel; and of the collars 20, than the diameter 'of a dime. The collars are provided at their upper ends with outwardly projecting flanges 22 which support the collars on the plate 16. The interior of the upper portions of the collars are provided with enlarged annular recesses 23 and tubular columns 24 are received within these recesses. The interior diameters of the columns 24 are equal to the diameters of the bores of the lower portions 21 of the associated collars. Also mounted within the housing 10 is a fixed baseplate 25 which is provided with a plurality of square or slightly rectangular openings 2630. As will be seen from FIG. 2, the openings 2630 are located adjacent to the openings 17 of the upper support plate but slightly closer to or further from the center of the plate 16. A moveable plate 31 is supported by the baseplate 25 and pivots about a shaft 32 extending upwardly through its center. As will be seen from FIG. 3, the moveable plate 31 is provided with a plurality of square openings 33-37 positioned to receive coins from the lower ends of the coin stacks carried by the collars 18-20. The coin-receiving openings 33-37 of the moveable plate 31 are located on this plate with their sides at 45 angles to the radii from the center of the plate 31 through the centers of the respective openings. The openings 2630 of'the baseplate 25 are located with their centers slightly closer to or further from the center of the plate 25 than are the centers of the adjacent openings of the moveable plate 31. The sides of the openings 2630 are parallel or perpendicular to the radii from the center of the plate 25 extending through the centers of the respective openings. Thus, when the plate 31 is rotated so that the center of an opening in the moveable plate is on the same radius as the center of an opening in the fixed plate 25, the sides of the openings in the fixed plate are at 45 angles to the sides of the openings in the moveable plate. When the moveable plate 31 is positioned as shown in FIG. 2, the opening 33 is positioned below and concentric with the bore of the collar 18; the opening 34, with the bore of the collar 19; and the opening 35, with the bore of the collar 19B. Likewise, the openings 36 and 37 are aligned with the bores of the collars 20 and 208, respectively. When the plate is rotated to its extreme clockwise position the openings 3336 are aligned with the bores of the collars 18A, 19A, 19C, and 20A, respectively. The lengths of the sides of the openings 33-37 are slightly larger than the diameters of the coins carried in the associated collars. The openings of the baseplate 25 are of the same or similar dimensions as the corresponding openings of the moveable plate 31.

A portion of the circumference of the moveable plate 31 is provided with teeth. A motor 39 drives a gear 40 which engages the teeth 38 of the moveable plate 31. The motor may be controlled by any suitable means such as the circuit shown in US. Pat. No. 3,280,953, Bayha et al. and limit switches 41 and 42, controlled by stops 43 and M1 projecting outwardly from the edge of the moveable plate 31, are provided to limit the degree of rotation of the moveable plate 31.

In order to determine when the supply of coins within a column 24 is exhausted and to prevent the machine from operating when the coin supply is exhausted, there is provided a switch mounted on the underside of the baseplate 25. The switch 45 has a spring-biased lever 46 which projects upwardly through an opening 417 in the baseplate below one of the coin columns 24. When the moveable plate 31 is in the position shown in F168. 2 and 41, the actuating lever 46 of the switch 45 is biased upwardly through the opening 47 of the baseplate 25 and the opening 35 of the moveable plate 31. If there is at least one coin in the stack the actuating lever 46 will contact the lower surface of the coin and will not move upwardly beyond the lower surface of the plate 31. if the column is empty the actuating lever 46 will project upwardly through the openings 47 and 35 and into the lower end of the bore of the collar. When the lever projects upwardly in this position the switch 45 closes indicating that the coin supply is exhausted and preventing the operation of the device. A similar switch may be provided for each of the coin columns or, where each column is provided with an identical number of coins, only one switch need be provided.

Referring to F108. 4, 5, and 6, the operation of the device will now be described. When the moveable plate 31 is in the position shown in FIG. 4, that is at the counterclockwise limit of its rotation, the opening 35 of the plate 31 is directly below the collar 19B and column 2 3. The column 2 1 is provided with a supply of nickels 43 and when the plate 31 is so positioned a nickel drops into the opening 35, resting on the baseplate 25. As the plate 31 is rotated about the shaft 32 the coin 48 is moved away from the collar 19B and toward the opening 28 of the baseplate 25. As will be seen from FIG. 5, the openings 35 and 23 are so related to one another that the coin 438 is supported along two adjacent edges of the opening 28 as the coin moves with the rotating plate 31. As long as the points of contact between the circumference of the coin as and the adjacent edges of the opening 231 are such that the line joining these points does not pass through the center of the coin, the coin is supported in a stable position with no tendency to tip upwardly out of the plane of the moving plate 31. When, as shown in FIG. 6, the points of contact between the circumference of the coin i8 and the adjacent edges of the opening 21 are such that the line joining these points passes through the center of the coin M3, the coin becomes unstable and its leading end tips downwardly. As shown in FIG. 7, this occurs when the coin has been moved well clear of the lower ends of the downwardly projecting portions of the collars 19B and 19C and the coin tips freely falling through the opening 28 and into the funnel-shaped portion M of the housing 10 from which it is discharged through the opening 15. It will be apparent that at the same time that the nickel 4a is being discharged through the opening 28 a quarter carried by the opening 33, a second nickel, and a dime carried in the openings 3d and 36, respectively, are discharged through the openings 26, 27, and 29, respectively, thus releasing 45 cents. The moveable plate 31 continues to rotate in a clockwise direction until the openings 3336 are aligned with the collars 18A, 19A, WC, and 211A. At this point a coin drops from each of the collars into the corresponding openings of the moveable plate 31. At the same time a dime which dropped into the opening 37 from the collar 2013 when the plate 31 was in its extreme counterclockwise position is now released through the opening 361 of the baseplate 25. The direction of rotation of the plate 31 is now reversed and, as the openings 33-36 again pass over the openings 26-29 an additional 45 cents in the form ofone quarter, two nickels, and one dime are released through the baseplate and discharged through the opening 315. During this movement of the plate 31, however, no coin is carried by the opening 37 as only one column of coins is provided along the path of travel of this opening.

The moveable plate 31 is ofa thickness not greater than the thickness of a worn coin. Where, as in the present embodiment, coins of different denominations and thicknesses are dispensed, the thinnest of the coins determines the thickness of the moveable plate 31. For example, if nickels, dimes, and quarters are being dispensed, the moveable plate 31 is not thicker than a worn dime. In order that one coin at a time is moved from under each ofthe stacks, the distance from the upper surface of the baseplate 25 to the lower surface of the downwardly projecting portions 21 of the collars must be at least as great as the thickness of a new coin but not greater than the thickness of two worn coins. This dimension is achieved by making the downwardly projecting portions 21 of the various coin stack supporting collars of different lengths depending upon the thicknesses of the coins carried by the respective columns. Thus in the illustrated embodiment, the downwardly projecting portions 21 of the collars 20, 20A, and 208, which contain stacks of dimes, are longer than the downwardly projecting portions of the other collars which contain nickels and quarters,

When one coin has been received in each of the openings of the moveable plate 31 and the moveable plate is being rotated to transfer these coins to the discharge openings of the baseplate 25, the next coin in each of the coin stacks rests first on the upper surface of the first coin and then on the upper surface of moveable plate 31. As the plate 31 is not thicker than the thinnest of the coins being dispensed none of the succeeding coins are caught by the edges of the openings of the moveable plate 31 and, as the distances between the upper surface of the moveable plate 31 and the lower surfaces of the downwardly projecting portions 21 of the various coin stack supporting collars are each less than the thickness of one worn coin, the succeeding coins are retained by the lower edge of the bores of their associated collars and do not move with the moveable plate 31.

While the openings 33-37 of the moveable plate 31 are shown as being of sizes corresponding to the sizes of the coins moved by these openings, it is not necessary that the openings be so limited. As shown in FIGS. 8-10, ifa coin whose diameter is less than the length of the side of the opening, the coin 56 may drop to any location within the opening 53 of the moveable plate 51. Since the opening 53 is positioned with its sides at 45 angles to the radius extending through the center of the opening 53 from the center of the moveable plate 51, the trailing edges 54 and 55 of the opening 53 direct the coin 56 toward the trailing corner of the opening 53 as the plate 51 is rotated toward the discharge opening 52 of the baseplate 50. Thus, the coin 56 is supported by the baseplate 50 until the plate 51 has rotated to a position at which the opening 53 is aligned with the opening 52. Since, as described above, the openings 17 of the support plate 16 are all of the same diameter, the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 14 may be readily adapted to dispense l dollar's worth of change in the fonn of one quarter, seven dimes, and one nickel rather than in the previously described combination of two quarters, three dimes, and four nickels by merely replacing one of the quarter-supporting collars 18 or 18A and three of the nickelsupporting collars 19, 19A, 193, or 19C with dime stack supporting collars identical to the collar 20. As previously mentioned, the lower projecting portions 21 of the collars 20 extend further toward the moveable and baseplates and thus provide the proper separation between these plates without the need for any adjustment of either the support plate 16, the moveable plate 31, or the baseplate 25.

The moveable plate may be further modified as shown in FIGS, 11 and 12 to provide a device which is capable of dispensing a large number of coins while being highly compact. In this embodiment there is provided a fixed baseplate 60, a moveable plate 61, and a fixed coin stack supporting plate 62 positioned above the plates 60 and 61. The plate 61 rotates about a shaft 63 extending vertically through its center and is provided along a portion of its edge with gear teeth 64 which mesh with a gear 65 connected to a suitable motor. Stops 66 and 67 are provided on the moveable plate 61 and these stops cooperate with suitable limit switches, not shown, to limit the degree of rotation of the moveable plate 61. The fixed support plate 62 is provided with an outer circle of openings in which are received coin stack supporting collars 68-75, similar to those illustrated in the previously described embodiment, and with an inner circle of openings which receive coin stack supporting collars 76-79. In this embodiment a device for dispensing eight dimes and four nickels is illustrated and the internal diameters of the collars 68-75 are slightly larger than the diameter of a dime while the internal diameters of the bores of the collars 76-79 are slightly larger than the diameter of a nickel. The moveable plate 61 is provided with openings 80-83 which, when the plate 61 is in its extreme counterclockwise position as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, are aligned with the openings of the collars 68, 70, 72, and 74 respectively. The plate 61 is also provided with openings 84 and 85 which are aligned with the collars 79 and 77, respectively. In order to permit the close positioning of the coin stacks and a small-diameter payout assembly while maintaining the coin-pushing edges of the openings of the moveable plate 61 and while maintaining adequate strength in the plate 61, the openings 80-83 may be of hexagonal configuration. The minimum distance between opposite sides of the openings is at least as great as the diameter of the coin which is received in the opening and the edges 86 of the openings which guide the coin when the plate 61 is rotated in a clockwise direction and the edges 87 which guide the coin when the plate is rotated in a counterclockwise direction are at 45 angles to the radius extending from the center of the plate 61 through the center of the opening 82. The opening s 84 and 85 associated with the inner circle of coin stacks are each in the form of two intersecting hexagons. The coin-guiding and pushing edges 89 and 90 of the openings 84 and 85 extend at 45 angles to radii extending through the centers of the respective hexagons. Square or slightly rectangular openings 91-94 are provided in the fixed baseplate 60 midway between the extreme positions of the openings 80-83 of the moveable plate 61 and with their sides extending at 45 angles to the edges 86 and 87 of the openings of the moveable plate 61 when these openings are aligned with the openings 91-94. The openings 91-94 are located with their centers slightly closer to or farther from the center of the plate 61 than are the centers of the openings 80-83 of the moveable plate 61. Additional square or slightly rectangular openings 95 and 96 are also provided in the fixed plate 60 and the centers of these openings are coincident with the radii extending from the center of the plate 60 through the centers of the hexagonal portions 84 and 85 of the openings 84 and 85 of the moveable plate 61 when the plate 61 is in its extreme counterclockwise position. The sides of the openings 95 and 96 extend at 45 angles to the edges 90 of the openings 84' and 85' and the centers of the openings 95 and 96 are positioned slightly further from the center of the plate 60 than are the centers ofthe openings 84 and 85 of the plate 61.

When the plate 61 is in its extreme counterclockwise position, as illustrated, a dime from each of the coin stacks supported by the collars 68, 70, 72, and 74 is received in each of the openings 80-83, respectively, and a nickel from each of the stacks supported by the collars 77 and 79 is received in the openings 84 and 85, respectively. As the plate 61 is rotated in a clockwise direction the coins carried by the openings 80- 85 are moved away from the lower ends of the coin stacks and toward the openings 91-96. As in the previously described embodiment, the coins are supported by the fixed baseplate 60 and are pushed by the trailing edges 86 or 89 of the openings of the moveable plate until the line joining the points of contact of the circumference of the coins with the adjacent sides of the respective discharge openings passes through the center of the coins. At this time the coins are moved well free of the lower ends of the collars and freely tip, falling downwardly through the discharge openings. When the plate 61 has traveled to its extreme clockwise position 50 cents in the form of four dimes and two nickels has been dispensed and an additional four dimes from the coin stacks carried by the collars 69, 71, 73, and 75 are received in the openings -83 and an additional two nickels from the stacks of nickels supported by the collars 76 and 78 are received in the portions 84' and 85 of the openings 84 and 85. The direction of rotation of the moveable plate 61 is now reversed, an additional 50 cents in change is dispensed, and the plate 61 returns to its original position. lf it is desired to dispense 50 cents rather than 1 dollar of change, the plate 61 is rotated in one direction only for each operation of the payout mechanism and rotates in the opposite direction to dispense the next 50 cents of change.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to dispensing l dollar's worth of change it will be readily apparent that the coin payout mechanism of our invention may be easily adapted to dispense any amount of change in any desired combination of coins. Also, the payout mechanism may be readily adapted to dispense fewer coins than the number of coin columns provided for in the upper support plate merely by leaving certain of the coin columns empty. Thus, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 can be modified to dispense ten dimes by merely providing ten columns of dimes and leaving the remaining two openings of the upper support plate 62 empty.

While particular reference has been made to a motor and gear drive for rotating the moveable plate, it will be apparent that other means such as a solenoid or a purely mechanical drive may be used to rotate the moveable plate. Likewise, while the arrangement shown, in which the plate is pivoted about its center and the coin stacks, receiving openings, and discharge openings are arranged in concentric circles about the point of rotation of the moveable plate, provides the most compact arrangement, other arrangements may be used so long as the coins are supported by a baseplate and do not tip until they have been moved clear ofthe lower ends of the collars through which the coins are released to the baseplate.

lt should now be apparent that we have provided an improved payout mechanism for a coin-dispensing device which is of a compact nature and which provides reliable operation. As the coins are stably supported while being moved from under their columns and until they are well clear of the columns there is no danger of a coin prematurely tipping and becoming jammed between the moving plate the lower end of the coin stack supporting collar. By positioning the coin-carrying and coin discharge openings with their sides at 45 angles to one another and slightly offset from one another, it is possible to move the coin clear of the downwardly projecting collar while providing the coin discharge openings close to the collars to conserve space. As the coin stacks are supported by removable collars, it is possible to modify the payout device to accept different size coins without extensive rebuilding of the components. By varying the length of the downwardly projecting portion of the coin stack supporting collars the separation between the fixed plate, moveable plate, and the lower edge of the collar is automatically maintained within the desired range when collars for different size coins are used. Since the sides of the openings of the moveable plate are oriented so as to direct coins toward the trailing corner of the opening only one size opening need be provided in the moveable plate and these openings will provide the proper operation of the payout mechanism even when small-diameter coins are used.

We claim:

1. A payout mechanism for a coin-dispensing device, comprising:

a horizontal support plate;

a plurality of vertically extending coin stacks supported by and extending through the horizontal plate;

a fixed horizontal plate below the horizontal support plate and having at least one opening therethrough communicating with a discharge chute;

an intermediate plate between the support and fixed plates, the intermediate plate having at least one substantially square opening, the opening being aligned with the lower end of one of the coin columns when the intermediate plate is in a first position and with one of the openings in the fixed plate when the intermediate plate is in a second position, the sides of the opening of the intermediate plate being at 45 angles to the sides of the opening of the fixed plate; and

means to move the intermediate plate between the first and second positions.

2. A coin payout mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the intermediate plate is circular and rotates about its center, the sides ofthe openings of the intermediate plate extending at 45 angles to the radius from the center of the plate to the center of the opening.

3. A coin payout mechanism according to claim 2 further characterized in that the distance from the center of the openings of said intermediate plate is different from the distance of the center of the corresponding opening of the baseplate to the center of the intermediate plate.

4. In a coin-dispensing device having a housing, a plurality of vertically extending stacks of coins mounted within said housing, and a discharge chute extending from said housing, the improvement comprising: a first horizontal support plate mounted within said housing and supporting said columns of coins; a baseplate mounted within said housing and having a plurality of openings therethrough, said openings communicating with said discharge chute, said openings being annularly displaced from said coin columns, an intermediate horizontal plate between said support and baseplates, said intermediate plate being rotatable about its center, said intermediate plate having a plurality of openings, said openings being aligned with the lower end of certain of said coin-supporting columns when said plate is in the first position, and said openings being aligned with but radially displaced from the openings of said baseplate when said intermediate plate is in a second position; and means to rotate said intermediate plate between said first and second positions.

5. In a coin-dispensing device, the improvement according to claim 4 further characterized in that the openings of said intermediate plate are provided with pairs of opposite edges which extend at 45 angles to a radius from the center of said intermediate plate through the center of said opening; and the openings of said baseplate being of square configuration, the sides of said openings intersecting the radii extending from the center of the intermediate plate through the center of the openings being perpendicular thereto.

6. In a coin-dispensing device, the improvement according to claim 4 further characterized in that certain of said plurality of coin-supporting columns are arranged in pairs, the first and second columns of said pairs being of equal angular displace ment from the center of the associated openings of said baseplate and on opposite sides thereof.

7. In a coin-dispensing device, the improvement according to claim 4 further including means for detecting the presence or absence ofa coin within said coin stack.

8. In a coin-dispensing device, the improvement according to claim 7 further characterized in that said means for detect ing the presence or absence ofa coin includes a switch having an actuating lever yieldably biased upwardly, said lever projecting upwardly through an opening in said baseplate below one of said coin stacks.

9. In a coin-dispensing device, the improvement according to claim 4 further including a collar for supporting each of said coin-supporting columns, said collar having a cylindrical portion extending through an opening in said support plate, an enlarged upper portion supported by said plate, a cylindrical bore extending vertically through the lower portion of said collar and of a diameter of approximately equal to the diameter of the coin carried by the associated coin stack, and an upper enlarged vertically extending bore, said coin-supporting column being received within said upper bore. 

1. A payout mechanism for a coin-dispensing device, comprising: a horizontal support plate; a plurality of vertically extending coin stacks supported by and extending through the horizontal plate; a fixed horizontal plate below the horizontal support plate and having at least one opening therethrough communicating with a discharge chute; an intermediate plate between the support and fixed plates, the intermediate plate having at least one substantially square opening, the openiNg being aligned with the lower end of one of the coin columns when the intermediate plate is in a first position and with one of the openings in the fixed plate when the intermediate plate is in a second position, the sides of the opening of the intermediate plate being at 45* angles to the sides of the opening of the fixed plate; and means to move the intermediate plate between the first and second positions.
 2. A coin payout mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the intermediate plate is circular and rotates about its center, the sides of the openings of the intermediate plate extending at 45* angles to the radius from the center of the plate to the center of the opening.
 3. A coin payout mechanism according to claim 2 further characterized in that the distance from the center of the openings of said intermediate plate is different from the distance of the center of the corresponding opening of the baseplate to the center of the intermediate plate.
 4. In a coin-dispensing device having a housing, a plurality of vertically extending stacks of coins mounted within said housing, and a discharge chute extending from said housing, the improvement comprising: a first horizontal support plate mounted within said housing and supporting said columns of coins; a baseplate mounted within said housing and having a plurality of openings therethrough, said openings communicating with said discharge chute, said openings being annularly displaced from said coin columns, an intermediate horizontal plate between said support and baseplates, said intermediate plate being rotatable about its center, said intermediate plate having a plurality of openings, said openings being aligned with the lower end of certain of said coin-supporting columns when said plate is in the first position, and said openings being aligned with but radially displaced from the openings of said baseplate when said intermediate plate is in a second position; and means to rotate said intermediate plate between said first and second positions.
 5. In a coin-dispensing device, the improvement according to claim 4 further characterized in that the openings of said intermediate plate are provided with pairs of opposite edges which extend at 45* angles to a radius from the center of said intermediate plate through the center of said opening; and the openings of said baseplate being of square configuration, the sides of said openings intersecting the radii extending from the center of the intermediate plate through the center of the openings being perpendicular thereto.
 6. In a coin-dispensing device, the improvement according to claim 4 further characterized in that certain of said plurality of coin-supporting columns are arranged in pairs, the first and second columns of said pairs being of equal angular displacement from the center of the associated openings of said baseplate and on opposite sides thereof.
 7. In a coin-dispensing device, the improvement according to claim 4 further including means for detecting the presence or absence of a coin within said coin stack.
 8. In a coin-dispensing device, the improvement according to claim 7 further characterized in that said means for detecting the presence or absence of a coin includes a switch having an actuating lever yieldably biased upwardly, said lever projecting upwardly through an opening in said baseplate below one of said coin stacks.
 9. In a coin-dispensing device, the improvement according to claim 4 further including a collar for supporting each of said coin-supporting columns, said collar having a cylindrical portion extending through an opening in said support plate, an enlarged upper portion supported by said plate, a cylindrical bore extending vertically through the lower portion of said collar and of a diameter of approximately equal to the diameter of the coin carried by the associated coin stack, and an upper enlarged vertically extending bore, said coin-supporting column being receiVed within said upper bore. 